Tower apparatus

ABSTRACT

A tower reinforcement apparatus designed to increase the load capacity and stability of a tower to enable the tower to support the weight of additional communication equipment as well as the environmental forces exerted on the tower. The preferred embodiment generally includes upper and lower collar assemblies disposed about the tower, a plurality of mounting blocks having a flat portion that is secured to an outer surface of the tower and an inner surface of the upper or the lower collar assemblies to secure the collar assemblies to the tower, a plurality of flat bars vertically attached to the upper and the lower collar assemblies, and at least one ring disposed between the collar assemblies, the at least one ring is formed to wrap around the tower and the flat bars in order to hold the flat bars in compression with the tower.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] U.S. Provisional Application for Patent No. 60/400,903, filedAug. 2, 2002, with title, “Tower Apparatus” which is hereby incorporatedby reference. Applicant claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. Par.119(e)(i).

STATEMENT AS TO RIGHTS TO INVENTIONS MADE UNDER FEDERALLY SPONSOREDRESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

[0002] Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] 1. Field of the Invention

[0004] This present invention relates to a means of increasing the loadcapacity of a tower and In particular, an apparatus and method forincreasing the load capacity and stability of the tower to support theweight of additional communication equipment as well as theenvironmental forces exerted on the tower.

[0005] 2. Brief Description of Prior Art

[0006] Single-pole towers, also referred to as monopole towers are usedin the telecommunications industry. In particular, such towers are usedto support equipment for wireless phones and other communicationdevices.

[0007] The increase in wireless communications has resulted in anincrease of mounted communication equipment of all kinds. Not only dowireless service providers need to install equipment covering newgeographic areas, competing wireless service providers need to installadditional equipment covering the same or similar geographic areas. Thesolution to the foregoing problem is to either purchase additional landto erect new towers, or install additional equipment on existing towers.Purchasing land to install additional towers is increasingly expensive,as well as the expense associated with the construction and themaintenance of a new tower.

[0008] Towers are designed generally to support the weight of thecommunications equipment originally installed on the tower, as well asto withstand forces exerted on the tower by environmental factors, suchas wind and ice, for example. Towers are generally not designed withsufficient stability to enable the tower to allow for the installationof additional equipment. As a result, prior art methods of increasingthe stability of the tower in order support additional equipment areknown to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structuralconfigurations, typically reinforcing the weak area of the tower (thearea where the additional equipment is to be installed) by means of aweld repair, such as an overlay of welding material. Installing thewelding material can be done manually, or by using an automatic weldingmachine.

[0009] Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuingneed for an apparatus and method for increasing the load capacity andstability of a tower to enable the tower to support the weight ofadditional communication equipment as well as the environmental forcesexerted on the tower.

[0010] As will be seen from the subsequent description, the preferredembodiments of the present invention overcome limitations of monopoletower arrangements.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] With the proliferation of cell phones and personal communicationsdevices comes the need for towers to support additional equipment forwireless phone and other communication devices.

[0012] The present invention is designed to increase the load capacityand stability of a tower to enable the tower to support the weight ofadditional communication equipment as well as well as the environmentalforces exerted on the tower. The preferred embodiment generally includesupper and lower collar assemblies disposed about the tower and mountedto the tower, vertical flat bars attached to the collar assemblies, atleast one ring disposed between the upper and lower collar assembliesand wrapped around the tower and vertical flat bars to hold the bars incompression with the tower.

[0013] The presence of the tower support elements of the presentinvention increases the load capacity and stability of the tower.Specifically, the vertical flat bars provide reinforcement to the towerto allow for the installation of additional equipment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, a tower apparatus.

[0015]FIG. 1A is a front view of the tower apparatus of FIG. 1.

[0016]FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a component of the tower apparatusof FIG. 1, namely, a collar with attachments.

[0017]FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of components of the tower apparatus ofFIG. 1, namely the collar of FIG. 2 and a ring with attachments.

[0018]FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the collar and attachments of FIG.2.

[0019]FIG. 5 is an exploded enlarged view of the collar and attachmentsof FIG. 2.

[0020]FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the ring and attachments of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] FIGS. 1-6 illustrate a preferred embodiment of a tower apparatus1 made in accordance with the present invention. In the preferredembodiment, the tower apparatus 1 is attached to a tower 100 at selectedlocations to maximize the strength and reinforce the tower 100, toenable the tower 100 to support the weight of additional communicationequipment (not shown) as well as the environmental forces exerted on thetower 100.

[0022]FIG. 1 best discloses the tower 100 in accordance with the priorart. The tower 100 is generally attached to a foundation 110 and iscomprised of a solid sheet of formed metal that forms a structurecapable of supporting the various communication equipment that may beattached to the tower 100.

[0023] In general, the towers 100 are designed generally to support theweight of the communications equipment originally installed on the tower100, as well as to withstand forces exerted on the tower 100 byenvironmental factors, such as wind and ice, for example. The towers 100of the prior art are generally not designed with sufficient stability toenable the tower 100 to allow for the installation of additionalequipment. The tower apparatus 1 is designed to attach to the tower 100at selected locations where additional equipment will be installed inorder to maximize the strength and provide reinforcement to the tower100.

[0024] The tower apparatus 1 generally includes at least upper and lowercollar assemblies 30. The collar assembly 30 is formed of a pair ofjoined collars 3 as shown in FIGS. 2-4 and 5. Each joined pair ofcollars 30 wraps around the tower 100. The tower apparatus 1 furtherincludes vertical flat bars 4 attached to the upper and lower joinedpair of collars 30, and at least one ring 5 with ring attachment means 7disposed between the upper and lower pairs of joined collars 30.

[0025] As best shown in FIGS. 2-3, each joined pair of collars 30 areselectively positioned along the length of the tower 100 in order to addsupport to that area of the tower 100 where additional communicationwill be installed. Each collar assembly 30 includes tab plates 30A, andeach collar 3 include a collar mount plate 3A formed on opposite ends ofthe collar 3. As shown in the drawings, the collar mount plates 3A ofthe pair of collars 3 are joined with mounts 30B to form the collarassembly 30. The joined collars 30 wrap around the tower 100. In thepreferred embodiment, an upper collar assembly 30 is selectivelypositioned on the tower 100 as discussed above, and a lower collarassembly 30 is selectively positioned on the tower 100 so that thelocation of the upper collar assembly 30 is the approximate upper regionof the tower 100 where added support is needed, and the lower collarassembly 30 is the approximate lower region of the tower 100 where addedsupport is needed.

[0026] As best shown in FIG. 2, mounting blocks 30C are selectivelypositioned between the collar assembly 30 and the outer surface of thetower 100. The mounting blocks 30C include a flat portion 30D.Preferably the flat portion 30D of the mounting blocks 30C are attachedto the outer surface of the tower 100 and the inner surface of thecollar assembly 30 by welding, thereby securing the collar assembly 30to the tower 100. While the preferred method of attaching the collarassembly 30 to the tower 100 is by welding the mounting blocks 30Ctherebetween as discussed above, any other method capable of securingthe collar assembly 30 to the tower 100 should be suitable forimplementing the present invention. Each of the collars 3 is shaped suchthat the joined pair of collars 30 fit around the tower 100 and suchthat the inner surface of the collar assembly 30 is in contact with theflat portion 30D of the mounting blocks 30C when the blocks 30C aresecured to the collar assembly 30 and the tower 100 as discussed above.

[0027] As best shown in FIGS. 3-5, the vertical flat bar 4 verticallyextends along the length of the tower 100. In particular the flat bar 40vertically extends the distance between the upper joined pair of collars30 and the lower joined pair of collars 30. Each end of the flat bar 4is attached to the tab plates 30A of the collar assembly 30 that arefixedly attached to the outer surface of the collar assembly 30. In thepreferred embodiment, bolts and nuts are used to attach the end of theflat bar 4 to the tab plate 30A.

[0028] As shown in the drawings, the ring 5 further wraps around thetower 100 parallel to the collar assembly 30. In particular, the ring 5encircles the vertical bars 4 and the tower 100, holding the verticalbars 4 in compression with the tower 100. The rings 5 are spaced atintervals along the tower 100 between the upper collar assembly 30 andthe lower collar assembly 30. As best shown in FIG. 6, the ring 5includes a ring plate 5A disposed on opposite ends of the ring 5.Attachment means preferably including a threaded rod 7, a washer 7A, andnut 7B effectively attach the ring plates 5A of the ring 5 together sothat the ring 5 wraps around the tower 100 as described above. In thepreferred embodiment, the rings 5 are spaced apart along the tower 100at intervals of approximately two (2) feet.

[0029] In the preferred embodiment the collars 3 forming the collarassembly 30 are fabricated from angle iron. Further, as illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 1A, multiple collar assemblies 30 may be mounted along thelength of the tower 100. As a result, shorter lengths of bars 4 can beused for easier field assembly, with the pair of joined collars 30 ateach end of the set of bars 4. Each upper and lower collar assembly 30secured to the tower 100 as previously described will enable the tower100 to provide additional support and stability provided by the towerapparatus 1 to the tower 100.

[0030] To maximize the support and stability provided by the towerapparatus 1 to the tower 100, it is desirable to select the location ofeach upper and lower collar assembly 30 based on the design of the tower100 and the location where each communication equipment is to beinstalled. In this regard, it is desirable to place the tower apparatus1 at the location on the tower 100 needing the reinforcement.Instruments are available to determine the stresses in the walls of thetower 100. The results of the measurements can be used to determine therequired elongation or number of pairs of upper and lower collarassemblies 30, bars 4 and rings 5 that are required to reinforce thetower 100 for installation of additional accessories. As such, thenumber of collar assemblies 30 with bars 4 and rings 5 therebetween,installed on the tower 100 is as necessary, and may be situated alongthe entire vertical axis of the tower 100.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 1, the tower apparatus 1 may further include abase flange 31 positioned at the lower end of the tower 100 attached tothe foundation 110. The base flange 31 includes brackets similar indesign to the tab plates 30A of the collar assembly 30. The brackets ofthe base flange 31 for receiving an end of the flat bar 4 whenadditional support for the tower 100 is required at the lower region ofthe tower 100.

[0032] As an example, referring to FIG. 1A, the tower apparatus 1 isillustrated having the upper collar assembly 30 and the base flange 31,designated as A1 attached to the tower 100 at the area designated W1needing reinforcement; a second collar assembly 30 designated as A2 isattached to the tower 100 at the area designated W2 needingreinforcement; and a third collar assembly 30 designated as A3 isattached to the tower 100 at the area designated W3 needingreinforcement. As shown in FIG. 1A, the same collar assembly 30 may beused to reinforce an area above the collar assembly 30 such as the areadesignated as W3, and to reinforce an area below the collar assembly 30such as the area designated as W2. In this regard, the tab plates 30A ofthe collar assembly 30 that receives the end of the vertical flat bar 4are designed to receive an end of the flat bar 4 supporting the upperarea relative to the collar assembly 30, and to further receive an endof the flat bar 4 supporting the lower area relative to the collarassembly 30. As shown in FIG. 3, in this application, the end of theflat bar 4 supporting the upper area is in abutting relationship withthe end of the flat bar 4 supporting the lower area.

[0033] By installing multiple collar assemblies 30 as described above,shorter lengths of flat bars 4 may be used for easier field assembly,and to increase the strength of the tower apparatus 1 and tower 100. Asa result, it is possible to attach communication equipment and/or othertypes of loads directly to the tower 100. Such loads may be attached thetower 100 at any point along the vertical length of the installed towerapparatus 1.

[0034] By installing the tower apparatus 1 to the tower 100 as describedabove, bending moments experienced by the tower 100 may be passed intoand absorbed by the tower apparatus 1, thereby increasing the loadcapacity and stability of the tower 100, to enable the tower 100 tosupport the weight of additional communication equipment as well as theenvironmental forces exerted on the tower.

[0035] The tower apparatus 1 may be installed on towers which are notyet installed or which is not vertical, or on previously installedtowers.

[0036] Metal, such as steel or aluminum, is the preferred material ofconstruction of the preferred embodiment of the collars 3 forming thecollar assemblies 30, the bars 4, and the rings 5. If aluminum is usedfor the vertical flat bars 4, passivators are required.

[0037] Although the description above contains many specificities, theseshould not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but asmerely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferredembodiments of this invention.

[0038] It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that modificationsmay be made to the embodiments described above without departing fromthe scope of the invention. Thus the scope of the invention should bedetermined by the claims in the formal application and their legalequivalence, rather than by the examples given.

I claim:
 1. A tower reinforcement apparatus comprising: an upper collarassembly parallel with a lower collar assembly, wherein the upper collarassembly is spaced a selected distance from the lower collar assembly, aplurality of flat bars attached to the upper and the lower collarassemblies, securing means to attach the upper and the lower collarassemblies to a tower, at least one ring disposed between the upper andthe lower collar assemblies, wherein the ring encircles the flat barsand the tower so that the flat bars are held in compression with thetower.
 2. The tower reinforcement apparatus as recited in claim 1,wherein the flat bars are vertically positioned between the upper andthe lower collar assemblies.
 3. The tower reinforcement apparatus asrecited in claim 1, wherein the securing means comprising a plurality ofmounting blocks, said mounting blocks comprising a flat portion that issecured to an outer surface of the tower and an inner surface of theupper or the lower collar assembly.
 4. The tower reinforcement apparatusas recited in claim 3, wherein the mounting blocks are secured bywelding.
 5. The tower reinforcement apparatus as recited in claim 1,wherein the upper collar assembly comprising first and second uppercollars, said first and said second upper collars each comprising anupper collar mount plate disposed on opposite ends, wherein the uppercollar mount plates of the first upper collar are joined with the uppercollar mount plates of the second upper collar to form the upper collarassembly.
 6. The tower reinforcement apparatus as recited in claim 1,wherein the lower collar assembly comprising first and second lowercollars, said first and said second lower collars each comprising alower collar mount plate disposed on opposite ends, wherein the lowercollar mount plates of the first lower collar are joined with the lowercollar mount plates of the second lower collar to form the lower collarassembly.
 7. The tower reinforcement as recited in claim 1, wherein theupper collar assembly and the lower collar assembly are formed to wraparound the tower.
 8. The tower reinforcement as recited in claim 1,wherein the upper and the lower collar assemblies each furthercomprising a plurality of tab plates sized to receive the flat bar. 9.The tower reinforcement apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein theflat bars vertically extend the selected distance between the uppercollar assembly and the lower collar assembly.
 10. The towerreinforcement apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein an end of theflat bar is fixedly received by the tab plates.
 11. The towerreinforcement apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least onering is parallel to the upper and the lower collar assemblies.
 12. Thetower apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein the at least one ring isspaced apart at intervals of approximately two (2) feet.
 13. The towerreinforcement apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising a baseflange positioned at a lower end of the tower, said base flangecomprising a plurality of brackets sized to receive the flat bar.
 14. Atower reinforcement apparatus for increasing the load capacity andstability of a tower, the tower reinforcement apparatus comprising: anupper collar assembly including a plurality of upper tab plates, a lowercollar assembly including a plurality of lower tab plates, wherein thelower collar assembly is parallel with the upper collar assembly, andsaid upper collar assembly is spaced a selected distance from the lowercollar assembly, said upper collar assembly and said lower collarassembly are each formed to wrap around an outer surface of the tower, aplurality of flat bars, wherein one end of the flat bar is attached tothe upper tab plates of the upper collar assembly and an opposite end ofthe flat bar is attached to the lower tab plates of the lower collarassembly, a plurality of mounting blocks, at least one ring disposedbetween the upper and the lower collar assemblies, wherein the ringencircles the flat bars and the tower so that the flat bars are held incompression with the tower.
 15. The tower reinforcement apparatus asrecited in claim 14, wherein the flat bars are vertically positionedbetween the upper and the lower collar assemblies.
 16. The towerreinforcement apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein the mountingblocks are secured between the upper collar assembly and the tower. 17.The tower reinforcement apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein themounting blocks are secured between the lower collar assembly and thetower.
 18. The tower reinforcement apparatus as recited in claim 14,wherein the upper collar assembly comprising first and second uppercollars, said first and said second upper collars each comprising anupper collar mount plate disposed on opposite ends, wherein the uppercollar mount plates of the first upper collar are joined with the uppercollar mount plates of the second upper collar to form the upper collarassembly.
 19. The tower reinforcement apparatus as recited in claim 14,wherein the lower collar assembly comprising first and second lowercollars, said first and said second lower collars each comprising alower collar mount plate disposed on opposite ends, wherein the lowercollar mount plates of the first lower collar are joined with the lowercollar mount plates of the second lower collar to form the lower collarassembly.
 20. The tower reinforcement apparatus as recited in claim 14,wherein the flat bars vertically extend the selected distance betweenthe upper collar assembly and the lower collar assembly.
 21. The towerreinforcement apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein the at least onering is parallel to the upper and the lower collar assemblies.
 22. Thetower reinforcement apparatus as recited in claim 14, further comprisinga base flange positioned at a lower end of the tower, said base flangecomprising a plurality of brackets sized to receive the flat bar.